At the end of three weeks of hearing, the North Assize Court had found guilty Dino Scala, nicknamed “the rapist of the Sambre”, of 54 of the 56 acts of rape, sexual assault (or attempts) for which he was judged.

He was sentenced on July 1 to the maximum penalty: 20 years’ imprisonment, with a two-thirds security period.

His appeal “shows, if we still needed it, that he has nothing to do with the victims, that his apologies are pure facades”, reacted Me Caty Richard, lawyer for four victims.

“They will still have to wait for months more before they can finally turn the page on what happened to them years ago,” she added. “He enjoys it.”

His new trial should be held in several months before the Assize Court of Appeal of Saint-Omer (Pas-de-Calais).

“They are a little disappointed to have to relive the trial,” commented the lawyer for nine victims, Me Fanny Bruyerre. “Their questions are: Do we still have to come back? Still testify? “.

Asked by AFP for the defense of Dino Scala, Me Margaux Mathieu did not respond.

Dino Scala, 61, was prosecuted in this extraordinary case for 17 rapes, 12 attempted rapes and 27 assaults or attempted sexual assaults, committed between 1988 and 2018 near his home, around the Sambre river, in France but also in Belgium. He had only recognized 40 of them.

He had during the hearing laconically presented his “apologies to the victims”.

The latter had deemed the sentence insufficient given the number of alleged acts.

One of the Advocates General, Annelise Cau, had also judged that the penalty incurred was “too low”, calling in her requisitions for a reflection on taking into account the serial nature of sexual crimes and their premeditation.

The trial did not completely remove the mystery around the accused, a well-integrated worker, married, father of a family, coach of a football club, but with a personality characterized according to a psychiatric expert by an “abyss” between the social side and the hidden side.